Burnout among oncologists and oncology nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Background: Significant proportions of burnout have been reported among both oncologists and oncology nurses. However, these groups have not been compared in a meta-analytic design. It is important to compare how burnout affects different types of health professionals to understand its individual implications and devise ways of minimizing and treating it. Objective: The current meta-analysis study aimed to systematically compare burnout prevalence between oncologists and oncology nurses. Method: Authors assessed 34 studies (four included nurses and oncologists and 30 focused either on oncologists or oncology nurses) that used the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to measure burnout. Both fixed- and random-effects models were used to calculate meta-analytic estimates of the burnout subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and personal accomplishment (PA). Results: The pooled sample size was 4,705 oncologists and 6,940 oncology nurses. The average proportions of EE, DP, and PA were 32%, 26%, and 25%, respectively, among oncologists and 32%, 21%, and 26%, respectively, among oncology nurses. Higher DP was found among oncologists compared with oncology nurses, only in the analysis of studies that included samples of both oncologists and oncology nurses. The subgroup analysis showed higher levels of DP in Europe and Asia and lower PA in Asia and Canada. No evidence of publication bias was found. Conclusions: Findings suggest differences in burnout between oncologists and oncology nurses and among geographic regions. This highlights the need for tailored interventions for different professions and regions. Hospitals should provide support and encourage teamwork to improve oncology professionals’ well-being and provide optimal care for patients.

Effect Evaluation of Mental Nursing in Nursing of Young Cancer Patients Based on Big Data

“…These results are recorded in the third column of Tables 4-6. From Table 4, it can be inferred that the rate of improvement in terms of having a quality life was greater for those who were in the intervention group, with a p-value of 0.0007, which is almost in line with existing studies (21,22,29,32). Nevertheless, the attention control group also performed better in terms of having a quality life as the time progressed, with many interventions.…”

“…In fact, these factors certainly affect the hope of an individual. Certain studies identified that the element of hope was higher among those patients who experienced lower levels of anxiety and depression, along with higher levels of social, emotional, and financial support (20)(21)(22). Therefore, such patients could have a better quality of life when compared with those who have higher levels of anxiety and depression and low levels of social, emotional, and financial support.…”

“…Despite all these, the effectiveness of the healthcare professional's inventions remained a controversial topic until date (6,27). Several studies identified sleeping disorders as one of the major symptoms frequently reported by patients with cancer (22,30).…”

Oncology Healthcare Professionals’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The focus on occupational health rather than on individual HCP’s mental health moves the problem and the solutions to the structural conditions of practicing oncology, rather than on the individual physician. We see this as a positive development in the HCP literature since many studies have found that a quarter to three quarters of oncology HCPs report feeling burned out and that this issue has become worse as a result of the pandemic [ 72 , 73 , 74 ]. These high numbers suggest that the factors that contribute to burnout are widespread and have to do with the nature of the work and environmental concerns, rather than the problem of individual HCPs and that changes are needed within the profession to help reduce this problem.…”

“…We agree with these recommendations and see them as an important first step in improving oncology HCPs’ quality of life. Burnout is a critical factor to consider when it comes to HCP well-being both pre- and post-pandemic, and as noted above, much has been written on how to reduce burnout among oncology HCPs [ 8 , 25 , 36 , 50 , 74 ]. However, our review also found gaps in our understanding and knowledge on the mental health of oncology HCPs, as well as a limited set of recommendations on how to improve this situation.…”